The Need for Indian Narrative

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Nithin Sridhar
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(Also watch Rajiv Malhotra's lecture on "India's Grand Narrative"- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9iObjKR5yI)


1. The issue of withdrawal of Wendy Doniger's book "The Hindu" and subsequent drama again shows the need for Hindu/Indian Narrative and Scholarship.

2. Those who are traditionally trained lack knowledge of modern scholarship. Further their numbers are dwindling fast.

3. The people with modern education largely has superficial understanding of Hindu religion and allied subjects.

4. We need to do two things- 1. Revive the traditional system of education of Veda, Vedanta, Tarka, Agama etc.And support the practitioners. 2. We need to create Indian narrative/analysis of not only Indic religions and traditions but also of world religions.

5. The traditional teaching through Sanskrit using mimamsa & tarka & Modern scholarship & research techniques must be carried simultaneously.

6. Further, we need create means of livelihood for those who learn & teach Vedas and dedicate their life for performing of vedic rituals.

7. The lack of Indian/Hindu narrative and purva-paksha as Rajiv Malhotra suggests is the source of problem which has manifested as Wendy etc.

8. Only way this lacunae can be rectified is by supporting Vedic learning & those who dedicate life to teach & practice Vedic tenets.

9. And with help of those traditional pandits, scholars well versed in modern methodology can create Indian Narrative.

10. We need to implement this approach in all branches of Sanatana-Dharma- from theology to science, from astrology to astronomy.

11. We need to create scholarly, objective research in Sanskrit, English & other vernacular languages.

12. Those who study in Gurukulas have no means to support themselves.A person who learns Vedas and wishes to practice Vedic karmas whole life has no means to support himself.

13. And there are hardly few gurukulas that teach Vedanta, Tarka, Mimamsa in traditional way because only few people go to it. Whatever is being maintained of Gurukula system is with great difficulty and generous donations.

14. Further, Learning Veda or Vedanta, Tarka or Mimamsa etc in themselves take up more than 10-15 years. Hence, there is little scope for students to pursue modern education simultaneously.

15. Further, those who study in Veda pathshalas have very little means of livelihood. Hence, Govt and others should support such people who want to pursue vedic way of life, who involve in learning, practicing and teaching Vedic mantras and doing Vedic Karmas.

16. Similarly, the modern education has no time or scope including traditional subjects in elementary or high school level.

17. We can only include certain elements like teaching of basic English etc in traditional gurukulas and including Sanskrit in modern system.

18. We must parallelly create traditional gurukula system where teaching is in Sanskrit of all branches from veda to tarka, to agama, to Ganita/Maths to Jyotishya and the Modern education that is as it is practiced but with curriculum to reflect unbiased truth.
 
19.Arts and Humanities must be supported and encouraged, so that students who pursue it, later can work with traditional pandits and create PhD thesis, research work etc on various branches.

20. By such collaboration of those learned in modern methodologies and those learned in traditional methodologies, we can create an Indian Narrative and Scholarship in Sanskrit, English as well as in Vernacular languages.